Barbara Thau

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, FEATURES CO—

About Barbara

Barbara is a longtime business reporter and editor specializing in the retail and consumer sectors, whose coverage includes fashion, food, beauty, technology and more. Her coverage at consumer publications like Forbes, CNBC and AOL.com and trade outlets such as Home Furnishings News ranges from market trend analysis features to CEO profiles of the nation’s biggest public companies, as well as buzzy new disruptors. Thau aims for CO—'s features to demystify the business landscape for the business community, with exclusive stories that keep readers ahead of the trends, identify emerging opportunities and offer actionable insights for growth.

Latest—
GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

How Brands Turned Pandemic-Fueled Trends Into New Business

Startups to big legacy brands are offering consumers more buy now, pay later buying options to delivery-only dining concepts to uncork new revenue streams.

GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

Experts Discuss Pandemic-Spurred Business Opportunities

Consumers are spending big dollars at neighborhood stores, as brands bond with customers via virtual events — business boons that would have been inconceivable pre-pandemic.

GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

Pandemic Consumer Trends: Hyper-Local Commerce & Small Brands

The crisis whet consumers’ appetite for local stores, on-demand dining concepts and Instagram-discovered startup brands — and marketers are heeding their call.

GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

Experts Discuss Emerging Startups Ripe for Long-Term Growth

How disruptors in retail and real estate to gaming and branding are serving a shifting consumer economy and leaning into business trends that are poised to stick.

GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

How 3 Startups Landed Distribution at National Retail Chains

A behind-the-scenes look at how organic baby food brand Raised Real, beauty retailer Luxie and Café Femenino Coffee broke into big retail.

GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

How These 3 Brands Turned Pandemic-Prompted Innovation Into Sales

Executives from Clorox, Thinx and Zenni Optical share how the crisis forced product launches and strategic pivots poised to inform business long-term.

GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

Tips on Building & Retaining Inclusive Teams from Diversity Execs

Executives from the weight-loss company, professional networking site and the NFL franchise share actionable advice on creating diverse teams.

GOOD COMPANY » THE LEAP

LVMH’s VP of Planning Discusses the Imprint of His Mentor

Jose Chan shares the invaluable business lessons he’s learned from a mentor, from running an international brand to tapping both data and human intuition to drive business.

GOOD COMPANY » LAUNCH PAD

Startups Alleyoop, Culprit and Doorkee Talk Business Growth

In expansion mode, Alleyoop, Culprit and Doorkee share insider, actionable tips for growth.

GOOD COMPANY » THE LEAP

Microsoft's VP of Worldwide Retail Discusses Mentorship

Shelley Bransten shares the critical business lessons she’s learned from a “posse” of mentors — from pushing passed inertia to the payoff of following a (seemingly unglamorous) muse.